Footwear with integral gusset at bottom of opening



E. ROLLMAN N May 8, 1951 FOOTWEAR WITH INTEGRAL GLI'SSET AT BOTTOM OF OPENING' Original Fild Sept. 2, 1944 INVENTOR. @41.511 /Mdn/l BY j I ,Si #Tra/m515 Patented May 8, 1951 -i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOOTWEAR WITH INTEGRAL GUSSET AT BOTTOM OF OPENING Ernst Rollmann, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Ito-Search, Inc., Waynesville, N. C., a corporation of North Carolina original application seiit'ember 2, 1944, serial Nn.

552,469. Divided and this application September 23, 1947, Serial No. 775,682

with a lower or end wall IIb which merges into the toe portion, and side walls I Ic and Ild. The side wall IIc preferably tapers outwardly as it approaches the top of the last and the outer December 9, 1947, which relates to the general i@ forward wall IIe narrows down so that the top subject matter of my earlier application Serial ends of the two walls merge into and become Number 300,761, filed October 26, 1939, now Patush with the outer face of the last adjacent ent Number 2,357,360. the top thereof, as indicated in Fig. 1. The ex- An object of this invention is to provide an treme forward edge of the last is shown as formed article of footwear such as an overshoe for exwith a scalloped edge which is desirable if a ample, constructed of a single piece of material corresponding edge on the flap is desired. which may be lined or not, and having a front It is to be understood, however, that this foropening adapted to be closed by a nap integral ward edge may be straight or curved in any with the body portion of the article. manner, and the edge of the flap may be trimmed A further object is to provide such an article l5 to` any desired shape. having a construction suitable for manufacture The numeral I2 indicates an elastic sock, by spraying, dipping, or molding operations. preferably of knitted textile material, shown A still further object is to provide such an drawn over the last. This sock ultimately will article constructed and arranged to assure comform the lining for the shoe including the flap. plete overlapping by the ap and to prevent entry 2o The sock is omitted in making an unlined article of water or snow near the bottom of the flap. of footwear.

Further objects and advantages of the inven- I3 indicates a sock-holding element attached tion will be apparent from consideration of the to any suitable support, as screw I3a, threaded specification as illustrated by the accompanying into the last. Such a holding element is necesdrawing of an illustrative embodiment of the '25 sary to force the `sock into the depression IIa invention,- in which drawing: because the sock, being elastic and drawn tightly Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a last for use in over the last, would otherwise take the shortest making an article of footwear embodying the path across the depression IIa. The lower end invention, showing a sock applied thereto beof lthe holding element I3 also assures contact fore the application of rubber or the like; 3o of the sock with therlower Wall IIb of the de- Fig. 2 is a partial sectional view taken on the pression. line 2-2 of Fig. 1; With the parts in the position shown in Figs. Fig. 3 is aperspective view of an overshoe illus- 1 and 2, the rubber or other suitable plastic trative of the invention showing it after removal material is applied to the sock I2 by dipping the from the last illustrated in Fig. 1 and before final 35 covered last in a solution of latex, or other simi- DiShIlg- I y 4 lar material, sufficiently far to entirely immerse Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on .the line 4-4 the sock therein, or the plastic material may be of Fig. 3, showing in dotted lines the position of applied, if desired, by other methods, such as certain parts when the flap is folded over the spraying or painting it thereon. The plastic is upper and fastened; and now treated in any suitable manner to cause it Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the nished shoe to set and solidify, forming an external layer I4. constituting the present invention, the flap being In the case of latex or a rubber solution, vulfas'ened in place. canization may be accomplished by the applica- Referring to said drawings, II indicates a last tion of heat or suitable chemicals which may be made of suitable material formed as to its lower in the form of a gas. and rear portions and the toe forwardly of the After solidication, the coating I4 and liner I2 instep to correspond to the desiredy article of are preferably cut along both sides-of the holdfootwear, in the illustrated embodiment an overing element I3, the screw I3a and holding eleshoe. However, the forward portion of the last ment I3 removed, and the shoe stripped from the above the toe is deformed in the manner shown. last. It is thereupon suitably trimmed, prefer- This deformation comprises a depression, such ably -by hand or a suitable trimming die, to a as IIa, formed at one side of the longitudinal conformation for example like that shown in vertical center plane of the last and extending Figs. 3 and 4. In this operation the portion of from a point adjacent the toe partly or entirely the iiap formed by the wall IIc of the last is cut upwardly to its top. The depression is provided away along the shaped edge of the last wall IIe,

of the shoe which is formed along the last wall.l

l Id is trimmed away along the outer edge of said wall Ild to form the edge I?,` anditnenalong" a line y to the point IBC. This forms a gusset comprising the two gusset sections; 16a and' 1619:.

Suitable fastening elements-suon asI snap butd` tons l5, are applied and the shoe is ready for use.

It will be noted from Fig.3 .thatthe material is trimmed along the top ed'g'esv of the sectionsv 16a and |65 which together serve to form agus set. It will be apparent from Figs. 1 and 2 that the walls llc and Ilb are substantially perpenf dicular to each other. Inasmuch as the gusset section'.A I'Gfis'fbrme'd 4along thelowen portionaof" thev wall `l I'c; it is substantially perpendicular to the? gusset section'I IS'b, which is formed.- along the` corner end wall Hd of thedepression; Also the' lower end-of the'soczk'holdingelement ISwa's located alongthe foldlinet between the two gus-v set sections'- 16a. andA |1651:

Asa result',y a. fold.' -ltne isl formed-.between the twogusset sections; seefliig; 3j As' the flap" is folded:` overrthel upper,`. the? portion. Ita willi be' folded tightly againstithef portion |61), and` the outer portion ofthetiiapiwillf be'V folded? tightly against theportion lapasislshown: more clearly in the dotted li-nepositionfsofY theapartsfinl Eig'. 4.; Since the upper edge of the section'. Ii6c`z of' the gusset is` longer than the upper edge of. the. secti'orr llib, the section IEa willextend beyondfthe edge ofthe opening in' the upper andy serve toV completely close` saidV opening; pi-'eventingl the entry of'vwater andsnowf.'

It will be noted thatthe present invention provides ashoefha-vi'ngf anK integral flap overlapping the upper andfoinied witl'r a gusset, all ofi the material for said: upper, flap; and gussete as wel-l as thesol'e-being formed inonepie'ce to provide an entirely' newI article of footwear;

`ln'steacl` of applying-"tl'ie'solidi-iiable' plastic ma'- teri'alby spraying or dipping,as described above, i'twould of-` course-be possible teform the plastic covering bya moulding process. In that event, the last would be surrounded Yby a separable mould" whichA may be of the' general construction of" the mouldy disclosed inmyf Patent*` Number 21351360, it being understoodf that the internal conformation of the* mouldv wou-l'd correspond with the external conformation off'th'e last, suf'- ficient space beingl'eft betweenl the mould and the'la'st to accommodatefthe material of the shoe or other article.

It is also to be understood'v that', whether the material is applied" by' dipping, spraying, or by mouldingv in anl enclosed mould; the'A lining-forming sock maybe omitted", in: which event the plastic' material will be formed directly upon the last. Such shoes could either be used without a lining or a lining' could' be inserted therein at a later time by any known or" suitable method and means.

The invention is not intended to be limited to the form shown, which is understood to be illustrative only and not limiting, as Various changes in construction and arrangement may be 1nade,.all comingv within the scopeof the claims which i'oll'ow.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, an integrally constructed shoe made of plastic material comprising anfupperfformed with an opening at its front anda ilap integrally attached to the upper atfonevsideof saidopening and adapted to overli'e said-"opening and to overlap said upper along substantiall'ythev entire length of the other side of said opening and to be temporarily attached thereto', and al gusset at the bottom of said opening. formedintegrally with the upper and iiap, said gusset consisting of two sections, one formed asA anintegral extension of the lower part of the outer edge of said flap and the other formed integrally with` the material of said"v upper which upper iswadaptedi to be` overlaid. by said-flap; the two sections being integrally connected together and' biased' to fold at their linev of connection, whereby, as the'flapis overlappediupon' the upper' to close said opening saidsectionsarerfold'ecl togetherund'er' the lower part of theflap to form a gusset near the bottom of saidiiopening.

2.. Asian; article o'fv manufacture; anv integrally constructed shoe made of.` plastic material1-compris-ingV anupperr formed with' an opening at its front and a iiap integrally'attached'toV the upper ationeside of vsaid opening and adapted to over-` lie said opening and to overlap said upper along substantially the entire lengthof theioth'er side of said. opening and to be temporarily attached thereto', andta: gusset at the .bottom of said open'd ing formed". integrallyr with the upperl and'ziap, said gusset.. consisting` of. two sections;l ongform'ed asian integral extensionzof the lowery part of. the outer" edge? of saidap and. al shorter' section formed integral-ly with` the material. of said-upper whiclrupper'is adapted to be overlaid'by said flap, the" two sections being integrallyv connected together andzbiased. to foldat; their line of con.- nection, whereby, as the flap .is overlapped: upon the` upper to. closesaidv opening said sections; are folded.'together.- under the lower part of the ap to form. a gussetV near: the bottoni of` said opening, ther second mentionedshorter sectionof the gusset beingrentirely covered by' theflap.

ERNST R'OLLMANN.

REFERENCES' CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Datev 1,075,930 Murray Oct; 14, 19113 1,604,954 Artz Nov. 2,'1926 1,739,821 Batt Dec. 7, 1929 1,821,471 Margulis Sept. l, 1931 2,357,360 Rollmann Sept. 5, 1944 FOREIGN.' PATENTS` Number Country Date 130,138 Switzerland Jan. 16, 1929 

